We are introduced to Inspector C.D Sloan and his slightly slow sidekick, PC Crosby, as they investigate the death of a nun in her convent. As a mystery, it’s OK but not that brilliant. The climax and explanations were rather disappointing, I thought, but I really liked the slightly sardonic tone and Aird’s creation of the setting and characters. She plainly knows a good deal about life in a convent, but spares us the pages – pages and pages – of interminable detail we’d get from P.D. James, for example, just to show off how much she knows. It is very skilfully and readably sketched in as background and I found it excellent. Similarly with her characters; Aird has the ability to create a convincing portrait with a few well-chosen lines and through their dialogue and behaviour rather than laboured exposition, and I enjoyed the characters very much. Sloan himself is an engaging protagonist with a nice line in dry wit, his Superintendent is slightly comic but nobody’s fool, and others ar equally well portrayed – especially the Reverend Mother.
I found this a great read, slightly let down by the ending but still very enjoyable. I can recommend it warmly and I’m looking forward to more in the series.
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